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Simensbråten Line

Length:	Starts:	Ends:	Status:
1 km	Jomfrubråten Halt	Simensbråten Halt	Abandoned

The Simensbråten Line was an 1.3-kilometre long light railway line which branched off the Ekeberg Line at Jomfrubråten and ran to Simensbråten. It was operated by trams and had two stops between the termini. The line was closed in 1967 due to low passenger numbers.

Jomfrubråten Platform. Photo: Ukjent/Oslo Byarkiv
The picture is licensed with a Creative Commons 3.0 license

After the opening of the Ekeberg Line between Gamlebyen and Sæter in 1917, the transportation company, AS Ekebergbanen, wanted to built a funicular from Gamlebyen to the planned residential area on the Ekeberg Plateau. A concession application was sent the year after, but the local tram committee voted against. They believed that the potential ridership was higher and argued for a railway instead. On 22 April 1921 Kristiania Municipality Council voted to built a light rail from Sportsplassen halt on the Ekeberg Line to Simensbråten.

The opening
Despite the scepticism of AS Ekebergbanen, an agreement was made with Kristiania and Aker municipalities. The construction work started in December 1928, and on 30 September 1931 the Simensbråten Line opened. After the opening AS Ekebergbanen applied for an extension to Lambertseter, but this was never realised.

Single-tracked
The Simensbråten Line was built with single tracks, except a few hundred metres from Jomfrubåten halt, where the line branched off the Ekeberg Line. The line had three halts: Ekebergparken, Smedstua and Simensbråten. As with the Ekeberg Line, the operational voltage was 1,200 unlike 600 on the other tramways in Oslo.

The closure
Due to low ridership the Simensbråten Line was closed on 29 October 1967. Most of the corridor is today a cycle and footpath. There are still remains of overhead power masts at Smedstua and Simensbråten halts.